The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-26
ooLoRlNo 4 SLAVE.
How = white Child was stained
Black BY . Man.

They were strengthening couple
tho man about 40 years old, dressed
in suit Of blue jeans well worn, and
on his bullet head crimson plush cap.
fitting almost as tight rs his own scalp"
said resident Of st. Louis. relating an
incident of early steamboat travel on
the Mississippi to n Republican reporter
OF that city. "Hc had long, thin
face, rat-like eyes, and nose that al
most detios description. The child
seemed to be about years old and
small for her age. Her hair was very
short. and looked ~ il il had been
singcd with hot iron and then black
encd. She had large blue eyes and a
complexion such as | never saw in my
life. 1t was of dirty brown, approach
ing mouse color, something like the
discoloration produced BY taking nitrate
of silver She was dressed in the usual
style of farmers children in the winter.
''In the afternoon. whilo the boat was
steering past tho shores of Arkansas. a
number of gentlemen passengers were
sitting forward on the boiler deck in
conversation. noticed the Kansas
man sitting near the company and SEEM
ing much Interested in the talk. After
the party broke up he approached me
and inquired: Are you SouthornerP
told him was. He then said he had
heard that black niggcrs were worth a
heap more than white ones in the South.
and If he could get partner that was
all right he had plan to make heap
of money. Informed him rather short
ly that knew of no one Of my &C.
quaintance whom I thought would like
to engage in business with him. and
left him.
The stateroom allotted to me was in
the front part of the cabin, being one
of the rooms originally occupied by the
engineers, they having the room | was
in and the one Immediately in the rear.
In the bulkhead or partition separating
the two rooms, had been placed a
window-pane for the convenience of
the officers who occupied the two
rooms. On the morning aftor the day
that had the talk with the ci.devaint
negro merchant I woke rather early,
and. turning over in the berth. my
face came opposite the window in
the partition. which, previous to
this time, had been closely COW
cred from the adjoining room. The
covering was partly displaced, leav-
ing small aperture through which
could see that the inmate of the room
was up and moving around, and my
attention was aroused by hearing the
voice OF child in seeming distress,
and then tho voice was hushed, as if a
hand had been placed over her mouth.
On looking through the glass | saw my
queer acquaintance engaged in stain
ing the child from head to foot. She
was entirely nude. and the operator had
large bottle of dark-colored fluid
in one hand, while in the other he hold
sponge. He painted her over with
several coats before he was satisfied
with that part Of his work. Then be
took from his black carpet-bag a small
bottle, the contents of which he applied
to her hair with brush. Aftor this he
dressed the child and put her out of the
room. telling her TO go to the ladies'
cabin.
'Immedlately after breakfast | went
to the captain and told him what | had
seen and my suspicious in regard to the
man and his white negro. The ladies
we're informed OF what mad taken place
and volunteered to take the child in
hand and find out all she could tell of
herself and the man in whose posses
sion she was.
The ladies with the assistance Of
:he captains wife had taken charge of
the little girl and after relieving her
mind OF her fears--for she was In great
terror Of the man--they found that she
had been an inmate Of an orphan asy-
lum in Kansas, and that the man had
taken her from the asylum for the pur-
pose Of adopting her as his child. His
story was that he lived in Iowa, that he
and his wife were without children and
wanted nice little girl to raise. The
little girl relieved of the presence OF
the man told a great many conclusive
facts which could not be doubted. and